Myanmar issues plea for help after cyclone

The military government of Myanmar has issued a rare appeal for international assistance to help the southeastern Asian country recover from a tropical cyclone that killed more than 10,000 people May 2. The staggering death toll makes the cyclone the deadliest natural disaster to hit Myanmar in recent history. Survivors have gone a week without electricity in the aftermath of the historic cyclone that lasted for ten hours and congested roads with thousands of downed trees. The United Nations, the United States and humanitarian groups have been trying to send aid and personnel to Myanmar. The U.S. embassy in Myanmar gave monetary contributions and said a disaster relief team is standing by. However, they have not been given permission by Myanmar’s government to enter the country.

Iran: Security talks on hold

An Iranian government official stated May 5 that Iran wants the United States to stop its “savage attacks” in Iraq before its ambassadors hold more talks with U.S. and Iraqi officials. The official, described as a senior member of Iran’s negotiating team, gave the remarks as U.S. and Iraqi troops have been fighting Shiite militants in Baghdad and in Basra. The Bush administration said many of these fighters have backing from Iranian agents. Last week, a five member Iraqi delegation approached Iranian officials in Tehran with evidence that Iran is smuggling weapons into Iraq and training Iraqi militants. The Iranians emphatically denied the charges. Iran and the United States held three meetings in Baghdad last year to discuss improving security in Iraq. Iraq’s foreign minister said he does not foresee the security talks between Iran and the United States resuming for now.

Mom freezes babies

Police discovered the bodies of three dead babies in a household freezer in western Germany and have placed the mother in custody. The freezer was in the cellar of a house in the city of Wenden, and the babies appeared to have died shortly after birth. Police officials told reporters a woman turned up at a police station in Wenden to tell authorities about the corpses. She admitted all three of the dead babies were her children and said she “possibly” was the person who put the babies in the freezer. The woman is currently in psychiatric care and is being guarded by police. The woman, 44, her husband, 47 and their three children, ages 24, 22 and 18, live in the home. One of the children found the corpses by chance when opening the freezer to look for food. The corpses were wrapped in towels and newspapers and placed in plastic bags buried under piles of food items.

Yankee fanatic arrested after slaying Red Sox fan

An argument over the Red Sox and Yankees turned deadly in New Hampshire when a woman ran down a pedestrian with her car. Ivonne Hernandez, 43, was charged with second-degree murder in connection with the death of Matthew Beaudoin, 29, and is being held without bail due to the nature of the crime. State prosecutors said words were exchanged between Hernandez and a group that included Beaudoin in a parking lot behind Nashua City Hall after leaving a bar May 2. Prosecutors said a comment was made about a Yankees sticker on Hernandez’s car, and she then drove across a dirt parking lot directly at the group, striking two people including Beaudoin, who died at the scene from massive head trauma.